April is National Donate Life Month; physicians encouraged to talk to patients about the importance of organ donation In honor of Donate Life Month, the California Medical Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation are encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about the importance of organ and tissue donation, particularly in underserved ethnic communities. There are almost 124,000 men, women, and children who are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the United States. Each day, an average of 79 people receive organ transplants. However, an average of 22 people die each day waiting for life-saving transplants due to the shortage of donated organs. According to Donate Life America, More than half of the national transplant waiting list is made up of minority populations. That’s because some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver that are best treated through transplantation are found more frequently in these communities. For example, African Americans and other minorities are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Caucasians. Although it is possible for a candidate to match a donor from another racial or ethnic group, transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic background. Thus, it is extremely important that the donor population more adequately reflects the ethnic diversity of the organ transplant waiting list. In California alone, 22,000 patients are currently waiting for a second chance at life. While the number of candidates continues to exceed the number of donors, there are many things that physicians and community members can do to change these statistics. What you can do: Visit the Donate Life California website, www.donatelifecalifornia.org and sign up to become a donor yourself. If you are registered via the Department of Motor Vehicles, you can also access/update your registry data. Educate patients about the benefits of becoming a donor. Talk to them about the lifesaving importance of organ and tissue donation and encourage them to register to become an organ donor at www.donatelifecalifornia.org. Donate Life California is the state authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing California's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. The registry is a confidential database of donation wishes to be carried out at the time of death. To learn more about organ and tissue donation in California, please refer to CMA On-Call document #3401, "Organ and Tissue Donation." This document, as well as the rest of CMA's online health law library, is available free to members in CMA's online resource library. Nonmembers can purchase documents for $2 per page. April 18, 2016 General Organ Donation, Public Health, CMA Foundation (CMAF) 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA physician honored in state assembly for selfless organ donation Last week, California Medical Association member, Ester C. Kwok, M.D., an internist in Los Gatos, was honored in the California State Assembly for a selfless kidney in a 12-person organ donation chain that saved the life of her elderly patient’s son. "A wife and the mother of four children," the resolution reads. "Dr. Kwok realized when first considering kidney donation that such an act defied her deeply held religious and cultural beliefs; yet in a remarkable testament to her personal fortitude and selflessness, through prayer-guided reflection and her innate generosity of spirit, she came to see organ donation as an act of love that would improve the lives of others. She changed her beliefs regarding donation and also has chosen to be an organ donor when she dies." Click here to read the resolution. The resolution comes during national Donate Life Month, which is recongized every April. In honor of Donate Life Month, the California Medical Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation are encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about the importance of organ and tissue donation, particularly in underserved ethnic communities. "22,000 people in California struggle each day waiting for a life-saving transplant – waiting for the call that someone, a hero, has selflessly and generously given the gift of life," says Eric Burch, Donate Life California CEO. "Sadly, too many never get that call. Be someone’s hero. Register to be an organ donor today." Donate Life California is the state authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing California's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. The registry is a confidential database of donation wishes to be carried out at the time of death. What you can do: Visit the Donate Life California website, www.donatelifecalifornia.org and sign up to become a donor yourself, if you haven't already done so. If you already registered via the Department of Motor Vehicles, you can also access/update your registry data. Educate patients about the benefits of becoming a donor. Talk to them about the lifesaving importance of organ and tissue donation and encourage them to register to become an organ donor at www.donatelifecalifornia.org. Visit www.donatelifecalifornia.org for more information on how you can get involved. April 12, 2016 General Organ Donation, CMA Foundation (CMAF) 0 0 Comment Read More »
April is National Donate Life Month; physicians encouraged to talk to patients about the importance or organ donation n honor of Donate Life Month, the California Medical Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation are encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about the importance of organ and tissue donation, particularly in underserved ethnic communities. More than 123,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, with more than 22,000 living in California. Each day, an average of 150 people are added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Unfortunately, an average of 21 patients on the waiting list die each day. What you can do: Visit the Donate Life California website, www.donatelifecalifornia.org and sign up to become a donor yourself, if you haven't already done so. If you already registered via the Department of Motor Vehicles, you can also access/update your registry data. Educate patients about the benefits of becoming a donor. Talk to them about the lifesaving importance of organ and tissue donation and encourage them to register to become an organ donor at www.donatelifecalifornia.org. Donate Life California is the state authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing California's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. The registry is a confidential database of donation wishes to be carried out at the time of death. Visit www.donatelifecalifornia.org for more information on how you can get involved. April 8, 2015 General Public Health, Organ Donation 0 0 Comment Read More »
April is 'National Donate Life' month In honor of Donate Life month, the California Medical Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation are encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about the importance of organ and tissue donation, particularly in underserved ethnic communities. Currently, more than 117,000 men, women and children are awaiting organ transplants in the United States, more than half of those being multicultural patients. That’s because some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver that are best treated through transplantation are found more frequently in these populations. For example, African Americans and other minorities are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Caucasians. Although it is possible for a candidate to match a donor from another racial or ethnic group, transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic background. Consequently, a lack of organs donated by multicultural populations can contribute to longer waiting periods for transplantation. Sadly, due to a lack of donors, many will die waiting for a life-saving transplant. In California, 21,000 patients are currently waiting for a second chance at life. Latinos make up 38 percent of those waiting for life-saving transplants; Asians/Pacific Islanders, 18 percent; and African Americans another 13 percent. Nearly 76 percent of those waiting for a kidney transplant are people of color. Nationwide, African Americans comprise 12 percent of the total population, but represent 34 percent of kidney transplant candidates. Eighteen patients in California die every day waiting for a transplant. What you can do: •Visit the Donate Life California website, www.donatelifecalifornia.org and sign up to become a donor yourself, if you haven't already done so. If you already registered via the Department of Motor Vehicles, you can also access/update your registry data. •Educate patients about the benefits of becoming a donor. Talk to them about the lifesaving importance of organ and tissue donation and encourage them to register to become an organ donor at www.donatelifecalifornia.org. Flyers and posters are available for download under "Ways to Help > Spread the Word." Donate Life California is the state authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing California's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. The registry is a confidential database of donation wishes to be carried out at the time of death. Visit www.donatelifecalifornia.org for more information on how you can get involved. April 9, 2013 General Organ Donation, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
